


THE ADVENTURES OF NOMAD & KOBIK

by Novagirl22



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-06-26 01:40:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19757974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Novagirl22/pseuds/Novagirl22
Summary: Remmy thought she finally had control of her life. She had a plan and nothing was going to change it- UNTIL she met a strange little girl named Kobik...





	1. Prologue

They say _“Life works in mysterious ways…”_ what they don’t say is _“Life works in mysterious ways while high on cocaine!”_ yet, we still try to control it. And oddly enough other people’s too.

I had a normal life; lived in a nice two story house in a nice neighborhood with a bearable amount of traffic. I could walk to the playground right across the street from my home. I climbed trees, played in the sandbox. I had an older sister who thought she was the boss of me and a brother slightly younger than her who always had his nose in a book. My mom was the best; my dad was okay. I was gonna start first grade in the Fall.

I thought my life would be like everyone else’s- it sure started out that way. But then something happened… And I lost everything. Strangers took control of my life and said I had to accept it. They said I could trust them, after all they claimed to know what was best for me. But then something happened again… and again… and again… and again, and again, and again. So I decided to take back control of my life. For a while that was the best decision I ever made.

But _“Life works in mysterious ways…”_ because something happened _AGAIN_.


	2. The Uncatchable Nomad!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small town, a bored police department, and a chaotic chase... What isn't new for Remmy?

Charlton was a small quiet town. It’s a place where people would go to escape the suffocating, techy population of the world. The town had been listed as number seven in the Top Ten Towns To Retire. It's where families would vacation to become closer, or get that perfect family photo for the Christmas card. The town was an ideal location for autumn and springtime weddings, not to mention the endless events of farmers’ markets and craft fairs were in the background of many, many Instagram posts. The nighttime silence was soothing, as a gentle breeze fluttered through the leaves and lightly shook the branches. In Charlton, there was peace on Earth.

Suddenly, a pair of sprinting footfalls broke that silence, followed by the snapping of twigs and a rustling bag. A figure darted out of the bushes and sped across the field! Wet grass was squished underneath her shoes. Her heart was pounding; her blood raced as she kept up a fast pace while the straps of her backpack yanked on her shoulders as it swung side to side. It looked as though the figure could have been running in any direction, but she had a destination in mind. From the same bush, two more figures popped out in hot pursuit! They were taller than the first figure, wore what sounded like heavier footwear and had to hold onto the items attached to their belts as they huffed across the field. They shouted at her to stop running.

The Charlton police.

She scolded herself _God Dammit, Remmy! You were this close. THIS CLOSE!_ She was on the bus- they were about to drive out of this crappy, Hallmark of a town. But she took a risk and stayed in one place for too long. Usually the police don’t take much notice of her just as long as she keeps her head down and stays quiet, but this was a small town; people here were snoopy. Someone must’ve suspected something and tipped off the police.

When they made her get off the bus, Remmy didn’t resist. She stuck to her story as if it were the truth _Her parents are divorced, she had been visiting her grandmother in the next county over, lost her return ticket and got stuck in this town. Rather than face the humiliation of having to call her father for help she decided to work for the ticket money._ To be honest, the officers would’ve had her- but they made the mistake of leaving her alone in the back of their patrol car. Remmy escaped those handcuffs in fifty seconds, grabbed her backpack, then bolted!

Though she had to admit, despite all the huffing and puffing noises they were making, these guys were persistent.

Finally up ahead she saw her destination on the other side of a ten foot tall industrial chain link fence- the high school. Without stopping, Remmy launched herself onto the fence like a squirrel and quickly climbed to the top of the fence. She swung her body to the other side of the fence, grabbing the chain link halfway down and hopped off onto the pavement. She returned to her running pace heading towards the rows of yellow school buses, but glanced back for a second to see the officers struggling to climb the fence. Remmy barely heard one of the officers ask if they should call for backup. She didn’t hear the response, but it was safe to just assume that yeah’ backup was coming. Which meant she didn’t have long.

* * *

Weaving around the buses, Remmy made her way to the back of the building till she found a way of entering the high school. On the side of a brick wall was an exterior pipe, larger than her entire hand, running up all the way to the roof. It was times like these that Remmy was glad she took the time to learn parkour. Who knew that having the skills to climb, swing and vault off buildings would come in handy when escaping the police? 

Grabbing hold of the pipe, just like the hundreds of times she had done before, Remmy crawled up the side of the building. Her eyes were locked on the roof; careful to have her weight pulling down on the pipe- not out. When she reached the top of the roof, Remmy took a moment to shake out her hand and catch her breath. She surveyed her surroundings. Reinforcements hadn’t arrived. Yet.

The roof of the high school was tall enough to have a decent view of the town lights peeking out of the trees. If she had been able to climb up that pipe so easily, other kids must climb up here as well. Remmy smirked to herself. _Imagine if I had grown up in a place like this?_

On the roof was a door leading into the school. As she predicted it was locked, but not for long. From a pocket hidden inside her jacket, Remmy drew out a switchblade and a paperclip. Using the blade as a tension wrench to apply pressure to the lock, she inserted the flattened out paper clip and pushed on the pins. There was a _CLICK_ and Remmy opened the door.

The hallways of the school were dark and empty. The custodians had gone home hours ago. And there were so many lockers! How many kids did this small town have? She finally found what she was looking for- the school nurse’s office. The door was locked too, but it had a window. Using the end of her switchblade, Remmy cracked the glass and kicked the window in. Then, carefully, she slipped her arm through the broken shards to unlock the door. _One minute to get what you need then you’re out of here!_

* * *

Remmy tore through the nurse’s office. Her aim was to find any supplies to tide her over until she got to the next place, far away from this town. From her own experiences, a nurse would have snacks for students if they were hungry, mild painkillers if they had a headache, and sometimes medications kids would have to take around lunch time. There was a locked drawer containing what Remmy guessed could be personal prescriptions; these she could sell. But picking that lock would take time, and she’d wasted enough time already. 

Originally Remmy already had these supplies in a duffel, but thanks to her new friends she had been forced to leave it behind on the bus. Thankfully it didn’t contain anything too imperative to her survival, just some of her clothes, food, and a few extra toiletries. The more important supplies she kept in her backpack at all times. Though this still meant she would have to find a way to replace everything. _Fuck!_

At the end of her minute, Remmy had managed to find some granola bars, juice boxes, gauze wrap, antiseptic wash, a handful of throat lozenges, some batteries, a small jar of Vaseline, and Tylenol. She quickly shoved her new supplies into her backpack; there would be time for organization later. Before closing her pack, Remmy got out her flashlight and a street map of the town she had acquired when she got here. Not far from the high school was a railroad track. On the map were times the train would pass by. Remmy had pre-written these in case she got into situations like the one she was in now. 

Looking at her wristwatch, the train would be passing by in the next ten minutes. She didn’t have much time.

* * *

A faint squeak from the hall jerked Remmy’s head up from her map. They’re here. Returning her flashlight and map to her backpack, she made one more quick spin around the room. Remmy grabbed a jar of cotton swabs and a container of baby powder, which she hid in her jacket’s secret pocket. Quietly, she stepped over the broken and snuck out of the nurse’s office. In the dark hallways of the school, Remmy snaked her way through the school with her body leaning close to the lockers. The squeaks were heard again; she crouched down behind a large trash can at the corner of the hallway. Peering around the corner, one of the officers was at the end of the hall. His radio was audible for her to hear:

“That’s a copy dispatch; we have a confirmation that the runaway juvenile is trapped in the building. Young, Caucasian female; around five foot 5 to five foot seven. Short reddish-brown hair; wearing a red hat, denim jacket, gray t-shirt, blue jeans, brown shoes, and a canvas backpack. We have suspicions to believe this is the _Nomad_ runaway from the internet. The main entrance has been blocked. Officer Wellers is currently searching the third floor. I’m guarding the south exit. Over and out.” If she wanted to catch the train on time, Remmy needed to go through the south exit. She looked down at the glass jar in her hand, then back at the officer. 

_There’s no way this is gonna work._

Remmy throws the jar to the other end of the hall. It shattered when it hit the cold tile floor. The officer’s body spins in the jar’s direction and starts running towards the noise. “Officer Wellers I have reason to believe Nomad has gone towards the cafeteria- I’m going to check it out now.” Remmy shrinks her body into the nook of the trash can as the officer runs past her. She watches him turn the corner in bewildered disbelief. _Huh, well whaddya’ know._

She hopped around the trash can and ran down the hall, smirking about how she was originally going to use the jar, _Lucky bitch- I was planning to smash that on your head._

* * *

Passing through the corridor that led to the locker rooms, Remmy thought about what she needed to do. She had to get to the football field. On the other side there was another fence she would have to hop that bordered the field from the forest; she had seen how tall the fence was when she was on the roof. It wasn’t that tall- hell, a middle schooler could do it. From there it would be a straight run to the tracks, then once she hopped onto the train she could finally wave goodbye to Charlton.

Remmy finally arrived at the hallway she guessed the football players would run out of at the beginning of games. She could see the handprints on the hanging ceiling where players would repeatedly slap on their way out. For good luck superstitions probably. As she was about to run under the ceiling, Remmy couldn’t help herself- she jumped and slapped her hand along with the other prints!

The double doors that led to the field could be pushed open from the inside. Remmy burst through the doors to the path laid between the bleachers where families and fellow fans would sit. The football field. She was almost there! As she stepped onto the field, the stadium floodlights suddenly flashed on! Remmy was caught off guard by the beams; she staggered a bit as her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, like a deer in the headlights. And then, all around her, Remmy heard whirring of police cars and the flashing of blue and red lights. The calvary had arrived! There were multiple anthems of **FREEZE! DON'T MOVE! STAY WHERE YOU ARE! DO NOT RESIST!** Seriously, did the entire department and their grandma come out tonight? If they caught her, this would probably be the highlight of these officers’careers. 

Remmy may have underestimated the determination of the Charlton police department, but did they really think that just because they yelled freeze, she was gonna give up? 

Sticking to her plan, Remmy made a mad dash to the other side of the field. She could hear the stampede of boots running across the field. These guys were more athletic than the first two officers; two had already caught up to her! In her peripheral vision, one officer was coming up on her left side and the other was getting ready to tackle her. At the last second, Remmy dodged the officer on her right, who tackled into the one on her left! More officers tried to tackle her- they were coming at Remmy from all angles! She jumped, slid, and dove at their attempts; weaving through the officers in a comical fashion. 

During the chaos, Remmy yelled at the offense, “Does anyone else think this is a little excessive! Is this standard procedure?! Are you guys _this_ bored?! Cause’ this is kind of excessive!” 

She managed to make her way away from the tackle pile. She was almost to the fence- but an officer had the smart idea of sneaking around the tackling chaos and was now standing between her and the fence. 

Remmy swiftly pulled the baby powder out from her jacket and sprayed a white cloud into his face! She then sprang into the air and pushed her foot into the officer’s chest, knocking him to the ground. Hopping over her defeated opponent and another hop over the fence, Remmy’s knees slid down a wet grassy slope that brought her to the edge of the forest. In the distance, the sound of a freight train was approaching. Into the trees Remmy flew! 

Like a deer desperately fleeing a pack of wolves, Remmy dashed through the forest, ignoring every branch that whipped her face and every root that tried to catch her feet. Beams of lights danced around in the trees as the familiar sounds of the police were closing in behind her. Pounding train tracks were just a yard away. _Change of plans_ , she thought, _This is gonna be risky but what choice do I have?_

Still holding the baby powder in her hand, Remmy ripped of the top and sprayed the rest of the contents behind her. She flung the empty container at her pursuers, disappearing from the officers view as they held up their hands to shield their eyes from the powder. She breathed in and with whatever scrape of energy she had left, forced her burning legs to kick out one last running burst! 

* * *

The officers watched as Nomad sped up towards the tracks. Suddenly, she made a sharp right turn- vanishing once again out of their lights. “She’s going for the train!”yelled the head officer. They followed where she went around the corner, breaking through the tree line. The freight train was roaring past as the heavy cars blew air and specks of rock at their legs. They had to scream at each other just to be heard over the confusion of the locomotive’s engine.

“Where did she go!” 

“What! Was she crazy enough to jump on the train!?”

The head officer quickly looked around on the ground and spotted the same red hat he’d been chasing just a minute ago. He cursed under his breath. 

“Radio it in. See if they can stop the train at the next crossing.”

“Do you think she’ll still be on there?”

“That’s the Uncatchable Nomad. I’ll be surprised if we do.” Clutching the red hat in his hand, now a memento of this crazy night, the officers began their return to the high school. “My God, what a night.”

* * *

A while later, a familiar, panting figure crawled out from under the shelter of the bushes. She was scuffed from head to toe in dirt. Her hand was scrapped from when she dove under the bushes at the last second. There was a gash on the side of her jeans. 

Remmy breathed out a deep sigh of relief. “What a night indeed.”

The muscles in her thighs were trembling and her throat was begging for water. Remmy could have just collapsed in that very spot, but she wasn’t out of the woods yet. Crossing the train tracks, she started a light run through the other side of the forest

Uncatchable, sure, but sometimes Remmy wished she could catch a break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE feel free to critique or correct my work! This is my first time posting fanfiction and I want it to be perfect.


	3. A Few Days of Exposition to Somewhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remmy has escaped Charlton! Learn what she's been up to for the past few days and the path she finds to meet the strangest little girl she's ever met!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is a long one of just rambling! I'm still learning!

The night sky started to fade away. Its dark color was replaced by a lighter shade of blue. Underneath it, a warm, orange light growing brighter and starting to creep over the trees. White clouds swirled around in the new blue sky, mimicking the orange light on their underbellies;The water below mirrored the sky. Dawn had arrived. As the sun began to warm the earth, droplets that had collected overnight magically turned back into fog, rising back into the air creating the morning mist. It was a short period of time that the world was in peaceful harmony. A period of time that could only be described as ‘morning’.

Remmy’s toned back arched up in the middle of the moment. She stood at the edge of the pond, barefoot in jeans and a grey tank. Her eyes scanned the landscape before closing them. She took a moment to breathe it all in. The moments of silence in Charlton had been peaceful, they weren’t wrong when they mentioned that in their welcome center, but this silence felt less like an advertisement and more… Pure. Invigorating.

A cool morning breeze caressed Remmy’s face, whispering, like it was telling her a secret. It teased her hair as if she had never cut it and caused the goosebumps on her arms to rise. She slowly released the moment, allowing her head to hang at her chest for a while.

Although she had made it over the state line into Connecticut, Remmy did not sleep well last night. Picking her head back up, she started rotating it around in a circle. Clockwise then counterclockwise; feeling the muscles of her neck stretch. As she started stretching out her arms, Remmy looked back at her shelter- it was made from a ball of twine and an emergency shelter tarp, both she had scavenged since leaving Charlton, along with the two blankets she carried attached to her backpack. The improvised bed she had made from a pile of leaves and a blanket still had the indentions from when she tossed and thrashed last night.

She had the nightmare again. One of the same nightmares she always had; And it always ended the same. If only they could just be nightmares, she thought. In her thrashing, Remmy knocked down tent, which thankfully woke her up before the worst part of the nightmare. After fixing her tent, Remmy tried to go back to sleep; she was exhausted. It had only been a few days since escaping the Charlton police, but for Remmy it felt as if it had only been yesterday.

* * *

After crossing the train tracks, Remmy walked through the forest for an hour and a half last night to make it to Camp Foskett. A summer camp that had closed its summer session just a week ago. Remmy was able to sit down for a while, but her encounter with the Charlton police made her paranoid and on the edge. Just because the camp was closed doesn’t rule out the probability that someone would come to check on the property every now and then. Luckily, Remmy learned this from the failures of other kids that tried to run away. Also it was highly likely that by now the police had sent out a runaway alert on her. As empty and quiet Camp Foskett appeared to be, it was only her stop to resupply for her trek to Southbridge, which by foot was two hours away. 

Unlike her previous method of tearing through the school nurse’s office like a crack addict, Remmy took her time to search every building and was careful not to leave behind any indication someone had been there. From the camp, Remmy found her tarp shelter and ball of twine, but also an unopened box of power bars, beef jerky, a bar of soap, tampons and liners, and several packets of drinking water purifying tablets. The laundry room was empty, except someone had left behind a nice hoodie. It was full-zip and a deep sea color; on both sleeves was a single bold yellow stripe running from the shoulders all the way down to the cuffs. It fit her perfectly. When she searched through the camp owner’s cabin, she found a couple of tens and an emergency flare gun with four extra flares still in its packaging. 

Remmy waited until sunrise to leave. She took no chance in sleeping, instead she studied her map in the owner’s cabin to plot out the best trail to Southbridge with limited human interaction. When Remmy has to walk long treks to her next destination, the way she makes the time pass by is to just focus on getting there. Unless it posed a threat to her survival, anything happening around her she blocked out. Whatever it was didn’t matter… It would just slow her down. 

* * *

Remmy’s prediction about the runaway alert were confirmed once she reached Southbridge. She had learned this at a Waffle House, studying a map of the town the restaurant had available for tourists; sipping on her coffee while waiting on her breakfast. The morning news was on, and the next second Remmy looked away from her coffee, she saw herself right on the small screen! They showed footage from security cameras of her breaking into the high school, tearing apart the nurse’s office, and the incredible game of Try To Tackle the Teenager. Luckily, the entire time she was in Charlton she wore her hat and was wearing different clothes. A few of the diner’s patrons gave her a look or two, Remmy smiled back and they returned to their meals. But Remmy also learned from the news report the police hadn’t just notified surrounding towns- the alert was statewide! If she wanted to survive, Remmy had to get out of Massachusetts. 

An inexperienced, first time runaway would have bolted, but Remmy calmly asked the waitress for her food to go, paid and walked out the door, leaving behind a nice tip.

She couldn’t risk going into the commercial area of Southbridge, too many cameras. Daylight was now her enemy, and no matter how much effort she put into  _ not  _ looking like a runaway, the survival backpack with the blankets attached to it sure gave it away. It was a Monday in the last week of August, kids were going back to school. Maybe there were some tree houses she could stay in until it got darker? But what if a neighbor spotted her? Or the kid got home from school and wanted to play in his tree house? It was still warm enough. 

Remmy eventually found a back way entrance into a church. She climbed her way around until she found a dusty storage attic. Remmy waited there for  _ hours _ . A circular window poured in light for her to see. There was a vent on the floor you could slide open to see the main center of the church. She read an entire red hymnal, discovering a few pages that some brave artist covered in dicks. Remmy decided to contribute to the artistic community and drew a pentagram on the back.

At one point Remmy did allow her eyes to rest, but a while later the sudden sound of the organ shot them open. Peering through the vent, right below, a young woman was practicing the organ. Laying on the floor, resting her head on her arms, Remmy watched the woman, dreamily, as her hands danced over the keys and her body swayed along with the music. Slowly, Remmy allowed her eyes to rest again. When her eyes closed, a warm memory crept into her mind. Something from long ago, that brought her comfort and sadness. Soon... Her mind started to drift off… Into unconsciousness... Into another memory… And then a nightmare.

Remmy yanked herself awake! _Stay awake_ , she sternly reminded herself, wiping away a tear. _Stay alert_. 

* * *

Once it was dark enough, Remmy snuck out of the church. 

She quickly stopped at a laundromat. In the back were unclaimed clothes; Remmy found a pair of jeans to replace the ones she ripped. Usually when needing to skip town undetected, Remmy would simply hike through the forest, but with the statewide alert, she needed to get out of this state as soon as possible! Walking further down the road, Remmy arrived at her ticket out of here- a truck stop. She walked into the gas station and asked if anyone was going into Connecticut and was willing to pay for a ride. She made up a story:  _ her friend was stranded at a gas station right across the state line with no money to pay for gas. He sneaked out to see a concert while his parents were out of town _ . One guy was already heading in that direction and agreed to let her ride in the bed of his truck. Remmy paid him fifty dollars, and would pay him fifty dollars more at the end. He seemed nice enough, but if he suddenly turned on her, Remmy would not hesitate to pepper spray his face then stab him with her knife. 

As they drove down the highway, Remmy laid flat on the bed, staring straight up at the stars, hand resting on her switchblade. She had her muscles clenched, ready to respond if they were pulled over. The drive should have taken twenty minutes, but the guy said he knew a ‘short cut’, which turned out to be fifteen minutes longer, on a road that went from tight corners to no road at all, and her hand growing tighter on her knife. She could have taken a short nap, but being bumped and tossed around in the back of the truck made sleep difficult to achieve. Eventually, they crossed the state line in one piece, and Remmy allowed her muscles to relax- slightly.

When he dropped her off at the gas station, Remmy paid him the other half of their deal and went inside. From the station’s foggy window, she could see that her driver hadn’t left yet. Before anyone could notice, she slipped past the  _ employees only _ section, through the back door and straight into the dark, familiarity of the woods. 

* * *

Remmy walked for who knows how long until she came to this pond. It was then her body decided it was time to set up camp for the night. She made herself a late-night dinner of cold Waffle House leftovers and a power bar for dessert. While eating, Remmy pulled out her hand-cranked radio and listened to the local news talk about traffic, events coming up, highlights from a school debate about the Sokovia Accords, and the weather forecast for this week.

_ “Early this morning, authorities have sent out an alert for a high-risk juvenile runaway. She escaped Charlton police the other night and is believed to be heading north. It is also reported that the runaway could be the internet coined ‘Nomad’ from last years’ incident in Chicago. She is described to be five foot-”  _

Remmy shut off the radio and tossed it back into her back. Laying down on her make-shift bed of leaves and a blanket, she gritted her teeth angrily. _ Will that ever leave me alone?!  _ She stared back up at the stars, this time without having hair blow in her face.

A hard lesson she learned on the run was keep your head down. Every choice and action you decide to make affects your survival. 

* * *

Despite moving continuously without rest, Remmy only got a couple hours of sleep. When she woke up from her nightmares, she couldn’t go back to sleep, no matter how hard she tried. Her body was awake and alive; the only thing that made her feel better was exercising, practicing parkour, and shadow boxing. Remmy did this for hours, until she felt the adrenaline levels start to sink. Until her tank was drenched in sweat. Until her bones started to bruise from kicking the tree. Until she could exhaust her body so much that the nightmares would fade away until the next night. 

She had not bathed or brushed her teeth in nearly three days. Her hair was greasy and dripping sweat; her skin was suffocating in oil and dirt. She felt  _ disgusting _ . 

Remmy stripped down to her sports bra and boxers, revealing a toned, lean figure. She thought for a moment and took off her undergarments as well; she had been wearing them for three days _straight_. Remmy shampooed and conditioned her hair and scrubbed the dirt off her body with the soap from Camp Foskett. After drying off, she put on a clean pair of clothes; once she finished cleaning her teeth, Remmy felt a little bit better

From afar she looked fine, but a more detailed look would tell a different story. On both sides of her inner arms were long scars, left there after a long sharp knife was dragged along the surface of her skin. On the right side of her neck are two small circular scars. Some people liked to call them ‘vampire bite marks’, but their true origin has a much more tragic tale.

* * *

Remmy packed up camp and started heading west. The road her driver took last night was highway one ninety-eight; She would have preferred highway eighty-four, but she got out of Massachusetts and ended up  _ somewhere _ , which was better than a holding cell and then sent off to a detention center. 

The hike through the rest of the forest was calm with the sound of twigs snapping under her shoes. As the sun grew, it dried her damp hair; Remmy would occasionally sweep it to the side. She also considered if someone caught her right this minute, an easy story Remmy could quickly make up was she was on a hike, given her button down, bulging backpack and hip bag.  _ No one really pays any mind to hipsters _ .

As she walked, Remmy pulled out her map to plot her next destination: Right now she was heading in the opposite direction of highway one ninety-eight and was currently trekking through Bigelow Hollow State Park, after the road ahead she would come to Breakneck Pond- which was actually a mislabeled ninety-two acre lake. She could either walk around the entire ‘pond’, or find a way to cross it. It was almost the end of summer, maybe she could get lucky and find a kayak or a canoe…

The familiar sound of snapping twigs made Remmy drop to the ground. Further up the forest were more policemen and these guys had shepherds with them. They were searching for something- or  _ someone _ . Her mind raced,  _ Did my driver report me to the authorities? Or someone in the gas station? Calm down, what if this has nothing to with you? If you run that’ll look PRETTY suspicious. But what if they are? And I’m just waiting for them to catch me? Oh God- that’ll be a laugh; on the run for two years and ultimately caught lying on my belly. Think Remmy think! Time to make a decision-NOW! _

A dog barked somewhere on the other side of the hill; The officers started heading in that direction.

_RUN._

Quietly as she could, Remmy ran around the search party. She wanted to put as much distance between the police as possible. _ Guess I'll be running around the pond. And I just took a bath. Shit! _

* * *

A half hour later, Remmy came to the end of the lake, covered in more sweat. During her run, she passed a morning yoga group, a bible study, and  _ may  _ have photo bombed a wedding kiss. The escape from Charlton was three days ago, but Remmy didn’t realize how she was still paranoid of the police.

_ Get it together, Remmy. This is a different state, different county, different officers. _

or several more hours, she hiked through Bigelow Hollow. Her backpack weighed heavier on her shoulders; after crossing Mashapaug Pond, another misleading name for a lake, Remmy had to sit down for a while and consumed two power bars. She collected more water for her bottle, using one of the purifying tablets. 

Remmy glanced at her map, she still had miles to go before reaching any kind of public service.

_ I am so tired of trees. Just burn’em all! Let us suffocate on our stupidity!  _

One cannot describe the joy Remmy felt looking at the sight of a tire service shop. She greeted the cold air conditioning like an old friend. Next to the entrance were several candy dispenser, containing peanut M&Ms’, Skittles, gumballs, and some kind of fruit-shaped hard candy. There was only one person working. A guy with blond curly hair who looked to be in his late twenties. His eyes widened when he saw her

“Jesus Christ! Is it really that hot out?” indicating towards her sweat covered clothing.

“Probably... Or my stupid decision to go for a morning hike along with the idea that it would be cool enough to wear a wool flannel and skinny jeans.” She jiggled the knob back and forth, hoping some free M&Ms’ would slide out. Remmy smiled at him.“You wouldn’t happen to have any spare quarters you’d like to donate?” 

He came out from behind the counter. “Actually, the quarter slots’ been busted for weeks.” He gripped the top of the dispenser, “One trick I learned that if you give it a good shake-” The dispenser was vigorously rocked back and forth- “Eventually something is bound to come-” a waterfall of M&M’s poured from the opening! “OUT!” 

“Oh my God!” Remmy used her shirt as a pouch to catch the candy, the rest of the candy was on the floor. She kept her smile on and giggled, “That’s a good trick.”

“I am so sorry! Let me get you a bag for those.”

As he was behind the counter, Remmy scooped more up from the floor. She froze, feeling eyes on her back. He was watching her. Turning her head over her shoulder, she shyly smiled at him again. “Sorry- I just don’t like to waste food. I know, I’m weird.” 

“No, no. You just don’t wanna add to the waste. I wish most of America had that same kind of thinking.” He seemed nice. Maybe he was just awkward. The guy had returned with a bag and a broom. Remmy dumped her candy into the plastic bag. As she was putting it away in her back, he started to sweep up the rest on the floor. Remmy could have left at that moment, but maybe she could pull some information out of him.

“So.. On my hike I noticed a lot of police searching the forests. Heard anything that’s going on? Any dangerous criminals I should be on the lookout for?”

He swept the floor candy into a dust pan. “Uhh… I haven’t heard much. But a friend of my boss came in this morning. I overheard they were investigating some suspicious activity that was reported over the past few weeks.” He emptied the pan out into the trash. “Which these days could be almost  _ anything _ .”

Remmy allowed a silent breath of relief to escape her lips.  _ So they’re not after me. Good.  _

He stopped sweeping for a while, resting his body against a dispenser. There was a hint in his body language that bristled the back of Remmy’s neck.“Ssoo… Do you enjoy hiking? _Bbeecaauussse_... I happen to know of some pretty great spots I’d love to show you.” His eyes quickly examined Remmy up and down. “Some nice _private_ spots not many people know about… And if you get tired, there’s a nice cabin along the path you can lie down in.” 

_ Okay- we’re done here. _

“Oh ya’ know, I sometimes just like getting lost in the woods. But this morning I was just reflecting. My last night was crazy.” She subtly popped out her hip and twirled her foot on the floor. “I know- I’m soo weird.” The guy was interested; he licked his lips, leaning a little bit closer to her. “Tell me more.” 

Remmy flipped her imaginary long hair away from her face.” _ Weellll _ … Last night me and my fellow chastity sisters pledged to keep our virginity intact until marriage!”

For a second his eyes went blank, then he burst out laughing! “HA! HA! HA! HA!  _ Chastity sisters _ \- that’s such a good one!” 

The guy continued to laugh as Remmy held a closed blunt smile. After a few moments, the guy calmed down. He looked at Remmy’s face.

“Really?” 

She tilted her head and raised her brows, giving a look that read:  _ Yeah, I’m serious _ . “Chastity in body and  _ soul  _ .” And in that second, the hint was gone from his eyes.

COCK. BLOCKED. 

“Well- thanks for the candy! BYE!”

* * *

On interstate eighty-four, Remmy held out her thumb for someone to pick her up. Across the road was Nipmuck State Forest. Hooray, more trees. She looked down the road- there were more patrol cars. Her heartbeat began to skip; Her breathing intakes became quicker and shorter. 

_ It’s alright Remmy, they aren’t looking for you. Stop looking and just stay calm. Now remember- you’re looking to hitch a ride back to Stafford Springs. You got on the wrong bus and now you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere. You don’t want to call your parents because you were visiting your girlfriend, and they haven’t accepted that your gay yet.  _

Half of that story contained the truth.

Remmy looked at the cars one more time. More had arrived. Some were even looking at her. One was looking at his phone and pointing at her. Remmy shook out her hands. If she resisted, she would be chased; if they took her into the station, there would be a high chance of being identified. 

“God dammit.” She whispered to herself. Acting normally as she possibly could appear, Remmy walked across the interstate into Nipmuck Forest. Over her shoulder she heard “Miss wait- we need you to answer to some questions.” The same words she heard a few nights ago. Once she disappeared into the treeline, Remmy started a jog that turned into a sprint! Breathing hard, it was like she was back in Charlton. Except with new officers chasing her. Officers that were more fit. 

There was a rumble. A drop of water fell on her nose. Lifting her head towards the sky, the once bright blue suddenly turned into dark grey clouds.

“You have got to be fucking with me.” The clouds responded with another rumble before unleashing a downpour. “Fuck.” Well, at least the sweat was getting rinsed off. Also the shower had helped her lose the police for now.

The forest was turning dark. Lighting cracked overhead! As she turned to decide on what direction to take, Remmy spotted a cave. A cave has only way way in and one way out, but right now she needed shelter from the storm.

It didn’t look like it was occupied, but to be safe, along with her flashlight Remmy pulled out her knife. Standing at the entrance of the cave, she used her light to observe every inch before stepping inside. There was no sign of any nests, or evidence of it being a den. But the ground was covered in leaves, where something poisonous could be hiding. Remmy used her foot to brush away the leaves. She carefully stepped all the way to the back. Holding her knife tightly in her hand, Remmy crouched down in the darkness. 

Outside the cave, lightning continued to flash as rain filled the forest. A stream of rain had made its way into the cave.

“Give me one more second! I’m gonna search that cave up ahead!”

_ One way in- No way out _ .

Adrenaline pulsed in her veins. Remmy was about to take a chance on making a run for it, when her hand pushed away some leaves to reveal… a sewer hatch?

It was old, rusted, and cold. There were two holes on the top Remmy could fit her hands in. Maybe…

The foot falls were coming near the cave. Using her knife to clear away the dirt and loosen the lid, Remmy gripped her fingers around the hatch tightly. Then, focusing all her strength to her arms, pulled until a grated  _ pop  _ from the cover. She lifted it to the side and looked into the dark hole. It wasn’t that big- she would have to crawl. Nothing could be seen or where it went- but what choice did she have left? 

Remmy dropped her bag into the hole, quickly jumping in after it landing in some kind of muck. She popped half of body up to camouflage the hatch with leaves before dragging it back into place. As she knelt in the muck, Remmy bit the inside of cheeks while the officer above could be heard walking through the cave. Rays of light passed over the sewer hatch, and into the eyes of a motionless figure.

“Nothing here. Let’s head back.”

He had left the cave, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any more policemen crawling around. Remmy looked down the sewer tunnel with her flashlight, highlighting all the slimy muck that clung to the sides. She looked in the other direction- just a few steps before hitting a dead end.

Luck had been on her side for this long, would it be willing to follow her into the grotesque unknown? 

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Remmy got on all fours and started crawling through the tunnel. 


End file.
